


The Toast

by December21st



Category: Castle
Genre: Castleland, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-23
Updated: 2013-06-23
Packaged: 2017-12-15 23:22:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/855164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/December21st/pseuds/December21st
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's a toast to the one who made it all possible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Toast

**Author's Note:**

> Response to the challenge "Before and After" at LiveJournal's Castleland. The challenge was to write a short fic taking place immediately after the final scene of an episode. Written in 2011.

Montgomery, Castle and Esposito arrive first. Montgomery and Castle are trading embarrassing stories featuring their children, while Esposito is told "just you wait" by the pair of fathers as the trio amble down the stairs to the Old Haunt. Some ten minutes later, Ryan and Beckett arrive, Beckett countering Ryan's theory about a "cab curse" with something called "taxi logic."

The Old Haunt isn't Castle's yet; not officially, but this evening makes it theirs. Within the hour, Jenny appears, tucking herself under Ryan's arm, in no hurry to remove him from the company of his friends. They don't mention work at all; habitually calling Montgomery "sir" is the only thing that gives them away as colleagues. Well, that and Jenny is the only one that uses anyone's first name. They talk about everything else, sports and movies, restaurants and tidbits from the local news. They laugh at each other and at themselves.

They have one thing left to do before they go their respective ways. Castle's bottle of scotch is carefully opened, gingerly poured out, and passed around the table. And then they toast the life of Donny Hayes.


End file.
